


unrequited

by satorisbandages



Series: now & later [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Childhood Trauma, Dating, Declarations Of Love, Falling Out of Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Idk how to tag things, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Mentioned Semi Eita, Mentions of alcohol, Pining Tendou Satori, Pining Ushijima Wakatoshi, Protective Ushijima Wakatoshi, Unrequited Love, ex boyfriends, mentions of abuse, more tags will be added, possible trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29125512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satorisbandages/pseuds/satorisbandages
Summary: "Did you feel anything?""No.""I'm sorry."--Alternatively: because returned became unrequited.
Relationships: Tendou Satori & Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Series: now & later [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2147442
Kudos: 16





	1. Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> hello & welcome to my first actual story with multiple chapters !!  
> ive been doing a lot of thinking, music listening, and feeling, and ive decided that out of all of the stories i have planned, ill start with this one first. im not sure how frequently ill update, but ill try my best to at least once a week !! however, ill try to upload the second chapter by the next 1-2 days.
> 
> this first chapter is short, so i apologize. enjoy !! <3

Satori Tendou had never really been one to willingly head to parties by himself, but an ashen-blond haired man had convinced him to anyway. The redhead was grateful for his friend, who was trying to help him stop tearing himself apart because of his recent breakup. 

Simply put, that is how Tendou ended up on the border of tipsy and drunk, brooding in a quiet - well, as quiet as you could get a college party - corner. Bruised, slender fingers wrapped tightly around a glass bottle as his sharp gaze raked his surroundings. Semi was nowhere in sight, which led to Tendou scoffing. It was nothing unlike him, he supposed. Even so, the thought that Tendou’s pretty much only friend at the party had left him alone to spend time with more drunk college students and not show him around was.. frustrating, to say the least.

And so he stood, very awkwardly, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone who had either a friendly or sober enough face so he could make an attempt at starting a conversation. It wasn’t unusual that people tended to stay away from the tall, skinny, pale man with the bright red hair brushing against his forehead and those calculating, beady eyes that seemed to trace your each and every feature and follow your movements, no matter how small they were. Tendou had yet to find someone who didn’t mind his freakish appearance, but so far he had little success.

He barely even sipped at his drink anymore, not wanting to risk getting piss drunk and heading home with a random student. He shuddered at the thought. It had happened before, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Ever since that night Tendou had always watched his alcohol intake at these events, knowing how much of a lightweight he was. His curled lips tugged downward, uncharacteristic to his usual wicked grin. Tendou frowning was not a usual sight.

A jolt of surprise hit him as his eyes met those of a tall, broad-shouldered, greenish brown haired man. Tendou blinked, eyelashes brushing against the red locks hovering in front of his gaze. His head tilted as if he were a curious puppy, and the stranger mimicked his action, causing him to break into a slight smile. 

The man didn’t return it, though.

Tendou blinked again but didn’t make a move, he simply stayed put in his corner and clutched his drink tighter. His knuckles went more white than they already were. The man across from him seemed to notice this, his gaze flickering from Tendou’s eyes to his hands and then back up to meet his wavering gaze. He turned around, his back now to Tendou. 

The slender man traced the stranger’s features with sharp, curious eyes, burning lines into the back of his head and the outline of his muscular shoulders. His shirt fit almost perfectly on his body, hugging his arms snugly and resting on his back, the slight outline of his back muscles being visible. Tendou couldn’t help but think,  _ Damn, I could stare at his back all day. _

Realizing what he was thinking of, Tendou shook his head and looked away, heat crawling up his neck. Thankfully, the green-haired man didn’t turn around again after that, so Tendou allowed himself to relax just a bit. Instead of standing there, Tendou decided to look for Semi. He checked the watch on his wrist and tilted his head thoughtfully. It was only 1:27am. Another drink wouldn’t hurt, right?


	2. Could Cry Just Thinking About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Calling him a sight for sore eyes would be an insult,” Tendou started, his voice wistful. “His eyes were so sharp, so calculating. It felt as though they could reflect my very thoughts in them, pinning them back on me. He noticed things, Semi. He noticed what I was feeling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello !! & welcome to another fairly short chapter :[[ though its longer than the first, this one still isn't as satisfactory as i wished it to be but the next one will be longer. im trying to ease into writing multiple chapters ^^

Tendou ended up getting piss drunk anyway. 

Which is just how he found himself, laid out in the backseat of Semi’s car, his lips cracked in a woozy smile. He stuck his arm out up above him, his gaze tracing his fingertips and the bones that protruded from the back of his hand, down to his wrist bone and along his forearm. Tendou clenched his fist and watched as the muscles worked, fascinated. A soft hum of the radio played in the car’s front, but he barely heard it. 

Somehow, Semi had managed to drink barely anything, so he was still sober to drive. Tendou, on the other hand.. well, you heard what happened to him. It was odd - Tendou wasn’t really the one to get so drunk he couldn't walk straight. Surprisingly, he still managed to not talk to anybody that night. Only when Semi found him curled up in the corner he had put himself into and forced him up to take him home did he open his mouth to speak. Tendou’s words were slurred and nearly incomprehensible, and Semi only managed to figure out the words “stranger” and “back”. 

Now that Tendou was resting in the back of his car at 2:53 in the morning on their way back to their shared apartment, Semi spoke again.

“Tendou? You alright, bud?” he started, somewhat tentatively. Tendou always got oddly cryptic when he was drunk, and he talked like some sort of philosopher. They were close to their apartment now, so Semi figured Tendou would be able to at least spew understandable sentences now.

“‘Alright’ simply would not begin to describe how I feel, my sweet Semi,” the redhead began, his eyelids fluttering shut as the car slowed to the speed limit of their apartment complex. “I witnessed a beautiful sight in the last hour, you know?”

Semi parked the car and shut it off. He sighed quietly and grabbed the keys, getting out of the car and turning to open Tendou’s door. The gray-haired man looked down at Tendou’s face, which was twisted into some sort of pleasured daze. He couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s drunk antics. 

“Okay, you tell me back at the house, yeah?” Semi mused, reaching forward and grabbing the arm that Tendou still had held above him. He tugged on it gently, and Tendou’s eyes opened to meet his. “C’mon.”

Tendou heaved himself up and slipped out of the car, stumbling just slightly and leaning towards Semi for stability. The shorter male wrapped his arm around Tendou’s waist and steadied him, guiding him to their apartment door. Tendou was oddly quiet. Semi supposed he was just gathering his philosophical thoughts, getting ready to tell his story of this beautiful sight he claimed to have witnessed.

They reached their couch at 3:10 on the dot. The pair sank onto the couch, Semi’s head starting to ache from the sudden silence that contrasted the loudness of the party they had just escaped. Tendou had his head propped up on a pillow, his left arm strewn across his torso with his fingers brushing up and down against his right. He bunched his sleeve up, wanting to feel the gentle graze of his fingertips on his porcelain skin. Semi watched him carefully, eventually breaking the silence.

“So tell me about this beautiful sight you said you saw, yeah?” Tendou gave him a sleepy smile, but it was still a thoughtful one. Semi knew this look, it was when Tendou was thinking of how he could possibly put into words the many thoughts that whirled around his head. 

“Calling him a sight for sore eyes would be an insult,” Tendou started, his voice wistful. “His eyes were so sharp, so calculating. It felt as though they could reflect my very thoughts in them, pinning them back on me. He noticed things, Semi. He noticed what I was feeling.”

Tendou paused. Semi’s eyebrows furrowed, curious as to why exactly Tendou was holding this stranger on such a high pedestal.

“His shoulders were broad, his shirt fit snugly around them. The muscles of his back were slightly outlined underneath the fabric, and I swore I could stare at him all day,” Tendou recalled, his rosy lips parting in a yawn as he closed his eyes. Semi was about to tell him to head to bed, but Tendou cut him off.

“His hair had me reminiscing of pine, Semi. I might even just cry thinking about him.”

Semi bit back a chuckle and shook his head, standing and ruffling Tendou’s messy hair. He grabbed his hand gently and tugged him up again. 

“Alright, come on. Off to bed with you. Tell me more about him tomorrow?” he pressed, even though he already knew who Tendou was talking about. He always forgot how observant Tendou was, so it honestly took him a moment for it to click. 

Semi never really noticed all of those little things about Wakatoshi Ushijima.

Tendou hummed in agreement and allowed himself to be pulled up off of the couch, Semi leading him to his room before disappearing into his own. Tendou fell onto his bed, snuggling into the sheets and grabbing blankets to wrap around his lean frame. A cool draft flew through his slightly open window, causing him to shiver as he pressed himself deeper into his bed, the bitter taste of alcohol still on his tongue moments before he drifted off into a deep, dark, dreamless slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was inspired by the song "could cry just thinkin about you" by troye sivan (hence the chapter title)  
> i dont have much to say other than, as always, kudos & comments are always appreciated <3

**Author's Note:**

> if anyone caught the mitski reference, ily
> 
> i apologize again for how short this chapter is !! like,, sheesh.. its so very short nwn . the next will definitely be longer. my twitter is @satorisbandages if you wanna dm me about this story or any other ideas youd like to see come to life !! 
> 
> as always, kudos & comments are appreciated <3


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